Wammy Minds Think Alike
by Crimson Cupcake
Summary: -CHAP. 9- Yagami Light is Kira, but nobody believes L. So he has an idea. A wonderful idea. A disastrous idea. Why not pay a visit to Wammy's House? Great minds think alike, after all. But there is more to the House than meets the ordinary eye. Slight AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi! -waves- I don't think you've seen me around, have you? That's because I've just changed my Penname from Art is a bang XD to Crimson Cupcake ^^ Ya. So...wow...Death Note...so amazing! I'm not used to writing serious fics, but I assure you this'll get a lot more serious later on.**

**The AU ness: Well, this fic is just after Higuchi is captured and L unhandcuffs Light. No, it's not canon. And at Wammy's House (even if it hasn't appeared yet), A did not suicide and B...well, B never did the LABB cases. Ya.  
**

**Wow...that was the lamest Author's Notes I've ever heard. Or written, really. **

**This is just the prologue, so it's really short, but my chapters are usually a lot longer. And the more reviews I get, the earlier I'll update. And yes, I will update, because I've practically written the first chapter by now. Am I boring you? Pah, just skip these notes, they're of no importance anyway. I feel boring...XDD Maybe it'll help if I use faces...:P**

**Disclaimer: Would I be writing a _fanfiction_ if I owned Death Note? O.o  
**

* * *

Yagami Light was Kira, L decided.

Sure, there were a lot more Kiras than he had originally suspected, but why shouldn't the innocent sleeping Japanese boy in front of him be a psychotic mass murderer? He was connected to the police force, a student, smart, and had been followed by Raye Penbar. Not to mention he definitely had something to hide. Who on earth would imprison themselves willingly in jail, and then plead to be let out again? No, L thought with decisive certainty, there was something going on here.

If only he could find out what.

He went through the facts again, each time ending up with the same response. Yagami-kun was Kira, Light was Kira. It was almost as if that thought refused to leave him alone, no matter how hard he tried to push it into the unfathomable depths of his mind.

As he sat, hunched, in his normal position, bulging eyes glued the computer screen and hands wielding the mouse with precision, L thought about it one more time. It was true; it _had_ to be true, but nobody else believed him. That was the heart of the problem. But as the genius detective crouched in the dark room with only the light of the computer, an idea popped into his mind. To anyone else, it would have been the worst idea of the century, but to a genius, it was the best ever idea. L gets an idea. Perhaps it was because of lack of sleep, but L's ideas are never good.

If nobody in the Task Force believed him, then all he needed to do was find someone else who believes him. And what better place to start than Wammy's House, the home of genius orphans who were one day destined to succeed him?

Yes, L decided, it was finally time to pay a visit to Wammy's House.

Oh yeah, and drag Light along too.

* * *

**A/N: Kyahahahahaha! Yes, that's the end. I know, so short. But I promise the next will be longer! A cookie to everyone who reviews (and you'll get sugar and jam and chocolate later)**

**I need a little help with A, who's going to appear later. Any suggestions? **

**Well, anyway, review! I'll update quicker if you review, so...um...review?**

**Bai bai!**

**~C  
**


	2. L's Perfect Idea

**A;N: **

**A/N: **Ahahahaha it's me again! I bet you thought I wasn't going to update again. But I did! Aha! Tricked ya ^^ I hope this lives up to everyone's expectations, so read on!

AU-ness: Just in case you forgot, this is right after Higuchi is captured, so L knows about the Death Note, Light has regained his memories and they are no longer handcuffed. Oh, and B has never done the LABB Cases, and A is perfectly alive and well._  
_

_Disclaimer: Death Note is too awesome for me to own...sadly..._

Oh, and I have found myself a plotmaker! Yes, Sazerac has agreed to be my plotmaker. She works for me, and I pay her non-existent chocolate chip cookies. We screamed at each other for ten minutes trying to figure out the plot XD And yes, this thing actually does have a plot, no matter what you think.

* * *

"Yagami-kun, I have a wonderful idea."

Light looked up from his bundle of paperwork, bored eyes settling on a certain genius detective. Truth be told, Light didn't really trust this detective (he was rather _odd_), but it was better to go along with his ideas. Everyone else in the room paused for a second and then, realizing that it was not important, turned back to their work.

He sighed, turning a page of the giant stack of paperwork. "What is it this time, Ryuzaki?"

Rue Ryuzaki, better known as Ryuzaki, better known as L shrugged. "Well, Yagami-kun, while you were asleep last night, I have decided on something very significant," he said proudly, sipping sugar cubes with a touch of coffee.

The student blinked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the mock coolness. "And that would be...?"

"Something of most utter importance," came the smart and unnerving reply.

_L, one day I'm going to kill you! _Ryuzaki generally had this impression on people, and Light tried and failed to resist smashing his forehead against the desk. He forced himself to calm down and looked L in the eye, which was rather hard when one had to peer over a stack of paperwork. "Look, Ryuzaki, everything's fine. Higuchi's been found, the Death Note is safe, it's a happy world! So, what is your idea?"

"Something vital," he said, sounding self-important for the umpteenth time. He didn't seem like he cared that his one and only suspect was becoming infuriated.

Light twitched. "For heaven's sake Ryuzaki, tell me!" He knew he might be sounding like Kira by demanding to know information, but nobody could deny their curiosity, could they? And L being so reluctant to tell him was definitely something to be curious about.

"Very well, Yagami-kun, if you insist. By the way, the percentage of you being Kira has gone up by 0.03 percent."

"That's no way to prove that I'm Kira!" Light protested, realizing that he would have to be a lot more careful. Through these tiny percentages, L could probably make it through to a hundred percent after 20 years. Of course, that was assuming that he was keeping track of the percentages.

The great detective accepted Watari's offer of a strawberry, and dropped it into his mouth, and then licked his lips. "I propose a trip to Wammy's House," he announced loudly, volume more than enough for the whole room to hear.

The room in question became completely silent. Even the sounds of tapping and paper-flicking that were present a second ago disappeared. Nobody had even heard of a Watty's House, but it sure seemed important.

"So, Ryuzaki, tell us. What is this Warry's House?" Aizawa asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah!" Matsuda added enthusiastically. "It isn't a jail, is it? We're not going to throw anyone in there, right?"

"Matsuda," Soichiro growled. "This is serious business, isn't it, Ryuzaki?"

Touta Matsuda immediately shut up and was never heard from again.

L nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Yagami-san. And yes, it is very serious indeed. You see, _Wammy's_ House is an orphanage. But not just any orphanage. An orphanage of geniuses destined to succeed me after my death."

Matsuda blinked. "You expect to die soon?" he asked curiously. Never heard from again? Bah. That was a lie.

Light shot him a warning glance. _You say that, Matsuda, and my percentage of Kira will go up...again! _However, he allowed no sign of what he was thinking to show. "Don't say such things, Matsuda-san."

"No," L said seriously. "We're all fighting with our lives on the line. Of course I need successors when I die. I could die in forty seconds time, for all I know."

Light sincerely wished that L would die in forty seconds time. He started counting.

_1...2...3...4..._

"So, why do you think a visit to Wammy's House would benefit us?" Ide added, determined to join this conversation.

"Well, for one," L said carefully, "Wammy's House is full of geniuses. And I believe that a whole house of geniuses working together would be better than a single genius working on his own."

* * *

"Besides that, Roger, the principal there, has constantly been bugging me about children behaviour, and I think it's time to finally check up."

"But," Soichiro protested, "wouldn't going to Wammy's House mean that you would show your face, Ryuzaki?"

L merely shrugged. "No matter. I would trust everyone there with my identity...well," he frowned, a thoughtful expression dawning. "Maybe except Backup..."

* * *

Nothing happened. Light was supremely disappointed.

"So, when are you leaving, Ryuzaki?" he asked innocently. The faster L was out of the way, the faster Kira could build his utopia.

L, however, had already thought of this dilemma. "To tell you the truth, Light-kun, I'm also going for another reason. And that is to see whether the orphans of Wammy's House have the same opinion of you as I do," L smiled cheerfully.

Light was horrified. "So you're going to see whether _they_ think I'm Kira or not? Ryuzaki, they're just a bunch of kids! They wouldn't know anything!"

Watari chuckled. "I wouldn't call them 'a bunch of kids'," he laughed. "However, I have already arranged three tickets to Winchester, England. The flight is this afternoon at 6:30, so I suggest you get ready."

Light silently cursed in his mind. Now not only was he going to be under watch 24 hours a day, he had to be around annoying genius orphans who all looked up to L like some kind of god. He shot Ryuzaki a glance. The detective was crouching in his chair, sipping the syrup of sugar...with a tiny bit of coffee. How anyone could look up to him, Light had no idea.

But it seemed that he had no choice but to go to this Wammy's House. But before that, he had to make necessary arrangements just in case. One glance at the monitor was all he needed. Amane Misa, Death Note holder and vastly inferior to himself, was standing outside. "Ryuzaki, Misa's waiting outside. I'm going to see her, okay?"

L only shrugged, not even bothering to glance up at the monitor. "Fine with me, Yagami-kun."

--

Light took a deep breath as soon as he was out of headquarters. Every time he went in, it seemed like something or something was constricting him. Of course, this may have something to do with being Kira, but that didn't occur to him. True to his word, Amane Misa was standing outside – all smiles.

"Li-ghto!!" she giggled in a sing-song voice, running up to embrace him tightly. "Misa hasn't seen you for ages!"

_Play along_, Light reminded himself as he fought down the urge to kill her. "I missed you too, Misa. Now, I have something I want you to do..." Turning his face away from the camera, he slipped a piece of paper into her pocket. "I'm going to Wammy's House in England for a few days. Now, I want you to send the Death Note to the address I've just put in your pocket. And remember to burn the slip of paper afterwards."

Misa positively beamed. "O-kay Li-ghto! Misa will do whatever you ask!"

Making sure neither L nor Misa could see his face, Light allowed an evil smile to dawn upon his face. Misa wasn't smart enough to handle things for herself in his absence, so he had chosen someone much more capable. Mikami Teru, a prosecutor, and a devoted supporter of Kira. He should be perfect.

"Do this, and I'll love you forever," Light whispered, holding in an evil chuckle. It was so easy to bait Misa into these things.

--

Five minutes later, Light found himself back in headquarters. By the time he had come back in, Ryuzaki was no longer there. Instead an empty cup was the only evidence that he had been here at all. At a questioning glance from Light, Matsuda looked up.

"Oh, Ryuzaki went into his room. He said something about packing."

Light blinked in surprise. "I didn't know Ryuzaki was the type to pack," he said. "Well, I'd better go pack too, then." _I didn't even know Ryuzaki had anything to bring along with him_, Light smirked, careful to keep that concealed, as the lift doors opened. His room was on the fourth floor, and as the lift doors opened again, Light smiled.

Opening the door to his room, Light's genius mind began contemplating what to bring with him. _Clothes, yes. No razors or knives or anything that may lead to me being Kira. Definitely no Death Note, although I can probably bring my watch. But then again, knowing Ryuzaki, anything can lead to evidence. Remember to bring actual food. What if everyone in Wammy's House has the same diet as Ryuzaki? Oh, the horror!_

Wincing to himself, Light began folding his clothes into neat piles, and then stacking them carefully into a suitcase. One suitcase was especially for clothes, and the next was for food. He shouldn't need anything else, provided that wherever they were staying wasn't a camp and that they had shelter, a bed and blankets. He packed a few non-violent books (he chose the scientific ones to make himself look smarter) for the journey, and brought his toothbrush and sufficient money. After an hour, Light stood, impressed, viewing his tidily packed suitcases. "There! Perfect! I wonder if Ryuzaki's finished...maybe I should go check on him, just in case. He doesn't seem like the type to neatly pack _anything_." Talking quietly to himself, Light proceeded to the seventh floor where Ryuzaki's room was.

He knocked once, loud enough to be heard, and yet not too loud so it disrupted whatever was going on inside. "Ryuzaki? Are you in there?"

There was a muffled "Yagami-kun?" and Light heard two or three loud thumps. He winced, realizing the only way those thumps could be made was by something heavy falling off somewhere high. There were also a few "Ow!"s and "Gah!"s before the door finally opened, to reveal a battered and bruised detective. So much for being the Best Detective in the World.

"Um...Ryuzaki? What are you doing?" Light blinked, straining to look inside. L, however, refused to open the door more than an inch.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Light-kun? I'm packing, of course!"

Another thump. L peeked inside worriedly. Even if he was deaf, Light _knew_ that he was lying.

"Ryuzaki, are you sure you don't need any help?" Light offered. At this rate, they wouldn't be ready to go in a week's time, much less by tonight.

This time it was L's turn to be confused (although Light could just _tell_ he was faking it). "Why would you want to help? I'm doing fine by myself, really!"

Light raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Maybe I should check, just in case," he said, and slid determinedly into Ryuzaki's room. He didn't really care whether the detective allowed him or not. He still remembered the time when L had bugged his room. That was terrible. Ryuk bugged him for apples _all day!_

Now that he was inside, Light could see that the room really was a mess. Clothes and books were splattered everywhere (although he realized that there were only faded blue jeans and white tops, which was probably why Ryuzaki always wore the same thing, because there was nothing else to wear). There were several suitcases lying haphazardly on the floor, and the bed was filled with delicate technology like laptops and televisions. This was going to take a long time, and a lot of patience.

--

It was nothing short of a miracle that they made it onto the plane on time.

By the time Light had finished packing Ryuzaki's things, it was almost 4:30. He had spent one and a half hours while L sat there with cake and sugar, watching. Light had had the feeling that Ryuzaki was very amused by his actions. He had also been under the impression that he was working for free.

They had to get to the airport by 5:30, yet L insisted on checking that everything in headquarters was the best it could be. All machines had to be operating, and nothing would break down in the near future while he was gone. He installed anti-viruses, put unhackable passwords on top-secret information, and even hacked into the police force just to make sure that news of L's departure had not spilled out. Luckily for Light it hadn't, or else L would still be on the computer tapping away.

After that tremendously long delay, Watari insisted on driving around for at least half an hour aimlessly so that nobody knew where they were going, or where they had come from. This infuriated Light to no end, but Ryuzaki couldn't hear no. In the end, they arrived at 5:45, and slipped through the customs. The police confiscated Ryuzaki's sweets (with the latter protesting furiously), and the three of them inconspicuously boarded the plane without any major incidents.

Had Light thought about this beforehand, he would have come to the conclusion that sitting anywhere near L on a plane trip was a bad idea. But the ever so smart Light could not find enough capacity in his brain to visualize what might happen on a plane trip, and so left it with loose threads hanging.

But as they boarded the plane and L crouched in his usual position near the window, Light couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. It didn't help that he was jammed between Ryuzaki and Watari. A man sitting weirdly, a high-school student and an old man...it must have been an odd sight. The flight attendants kept well away from them.

As the staff went through the safety procedures, Light flicked uninterestedly through his book. Maybe he shouldn't have brought a book on physics and brought a crime novel instead...but it was too late. The 'seatbelt' sign flashed on, and he buckled it obediently. However, next to him, Ryuzaki was having a little more trouble than 'normal' people would. He insisted on staying in his crouched position – legs up on the chair and back hunched. As such, it was incredibly hard for him to buckle the seatbelt.

An attendant came reluctantly, and by the look on her face, Light could tell she would rather be anywhere else than here right now.

"Um...sir, please sit normally and buckle your seat belt," she flashed a nervous (and obviously fake) smile.

L looked up, cocked his head to one side and allowed his thumb to touch his lower lips. Even the attendant had to credit him for being adorable. "But this is normal," he protested.

Light rolled his eyes. "Ryuzaki, I think she means like this." He indicated his own position.

"Oh..." L stared at his posture for several seconds before frowning. "But then my deductive ability goes down by 40%," he added.

"V-Very well, sir, you may sit like th-that," the attendant stuttered. Light could tell she wanted to get as far away from here as possible. "J-Just make sure you buckle your seatbelt." She practically dashed off, leaving a very confused Ryuzaki.

After a few long seconds of fiddling, L finally managed to buckle his seatbelt, glaring at it like it was constricting him.

Light sighed, and smashed his head against the seat.

_Stupid Wammy's House..._

--

The plane hit the runway at exactly 6:23am, Japanese time. But in England, it was 3:23 in the afternoon. Light rubbed his eyes, determined to stretch his legs and get used to the odd time shift. L, however, looked perfectly comfortable. One look at Ryuzaki's posture was able to make Light wince. How could anyone sit like that for 12 hours? It was mind-boggling. But there were many things unexplained in the world – like how Shinigami existed in the first place. Like how an ordinary notebook could kill with just a name and a face. Like how a notebook of death _just happened _to land within the vision of a genius.

Yes, there were many unexplainable things indeed.

Light stood up with a groan and stretched, feeling his legs about to give way underneath him. Neither Ryuzaki nor Watari showed any physical signs of discomfort. He half-expected to be arrested by the police for looking so odd, but in the end they made it out of the airport without incident. But by then a thought had occurred to the latter, and he was quick to voice it.

"Ryuzaki, where are we staying for the night?"

L looked back quizzically, thumb on his bottom lip. "What do you mean, Yagami-kun? We're staying at Wammy's House, of course!"

For a second, Light stared blankly back at the genius detective. And then something in his mind clicked. He found himself denying that answer with every fibre of his existence, and yet there was no doubt that Ryuzaki had said it.

"R-Ryuzaki, don't be ridiculous," he stammered, averting his eyes. "Surely we're not staying in an orphanage full of orphans! Weren't we staying in a five-star hotel or something?"

"Is there something wrong with Wammy's House, Yagami-kun? Or perhaps you are Kira, and are scared that one of the orphans would find your true identity?" Ryuzaki responded suspiciously, peering closely at Light.

He sighed, although L's guess was spot-on. "It's not that. This is an _orphanage,_ L!" He gestured wildly with his hands, and caused several passersby to stare at him in confusion. It didn't help that he was using Ryuzaki's title. "The Great Detective, L, living in an orphanage! How low has the world sunk?" Light was saying this more out of desperation than anything. Living with orphans would mean his demise. And he had a feeling some of it got over to Ryuzaki.

"But Light-kun! Wammy's House isn't an ordinary orphanage. It's run by Watari here, in fact. And I am sure you will enjoy your stay immensely. I am L, after all."

Yagami Light twitched. Maybe everything he said _didn't _get to Ryuzaki after all. He had no choice but to confine himself to this torture. "Alright, Ryuzaki, you win. Let's go to this Wammy's House."

As Watari flagged down a taxi, Light came to deeply regret his words. Ryuzaki was looking a lot more cheerful than he would have liked at the moment. It didn't help that the taxi driver was driving way too fast for what anyone would classify as 'normal'. Was everything just extra fast in England, Light wondered, or was it because the taxi-driver felt the need to get the three passengers out of the taxi as soon as possible? Somehow, his reasoning pointed to the latter.

They swung around the corner at terrifying speeds. Neither L nor Watari seemed to notice, so Light tried and failed to act like it was a perfectly normal ride.

All pretence disappeared when Light realized that the taxi had stopped, and looked outside. His eyes became the size of saucers, and lit up like a lighthouse. No pun intended.

Standing in front of him was the most majestic, beautiful, brilliant orphanage he had ever seen. Although, Light admitted, he had only ever seen one or two orphanages. But Wammy's House (for this could be no other,) looked so grand he couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

The walls were of the purest white, and although it looked old and burdened, there was no sign of graffiti anywhere. The lawn was clean and well-kept, and a set of giant iron gates barred the way. They were open, however, as if someone had been expecting the trio. All in all, it looked like a boarding school, and if Light hadn't noticed there were orphans playing around outside, he would probably have fainted by now.

"Welcome to Wammy's House, L, Light," Watari smiled, striding through the doors.

Ryuzaki followed, hunched in his usual position and not at all awed by the orphanage. He looked like he had come here all his life, although by Watari's introduction, Light was sure this was his first time here.

Feeling butterflies in his stomach, Light straightened his tie and marched purposefully inside the golden gates.

* * *

**A/N: **So how was it? Okay enough? Hopefully not too horrible? I'm sorry I switched between L and Ryuzaki, it's just that I don't know what to call him half the time. To tell the truth, this never meant to turn out so long, but long is good, right? Please review, it makes me happy!

Okay, now I'm going to hold a poll.

_Should there be LABB spoilers in this fic?_

It will only be minor, promise! Even if it seems to be major at first, it really doesn't affect the plot of the book much. It does affect the plot in this fic, though. I'm hoping for a yes, but if nobody's read the book, then I guess not. Here are the choices:

_1. Yes, a lot of it_

_2. A limited amount only_

_3. Not at all!_

So, vote away! (in the review of course)

You'll review now, won't you?

~C


	3. Settling in

**A/N: And here it is, the long awaited update! After seeing the results of the poll (thanks to everyone who's voted), I decided to put a little spoilers in it, not too much, so that people can still read the BB cases and wonder...Anyway. I've promised to give my Beta (_Sazerac) _a paragraph in the A/N, in return for a cyber Death Note, so here:**

**Yay! My awesomely awesomely genius beta has come up with a plot -gasp-. Yes, it does have a plot, believe it or not. We spent _hours_ shouting it over, and there are still little bits that aren't patched up. But never worry, it shall be the best plot ever! -dramatic music-**

**Disclaimer: _Fan_fiction means 'fiction created by fans' and so it is determined that nobody on this site could own Death Note. I'm on the site, people.**

**A****Uness: Well, A ain't dead, B didn't kill people, and the Winchester Mad Bombings didn't happen. Okay? Ah yes, and this happens after Higuchi is captured.  
**

* * *

After ten minutes of skilful navigation on Watari's part around what seemed to be an eternal maze, Light found himself inside an office. It looked like all offices should, although with absence of awards and trophies on the walls. Although fairly small compared to the rest of the House, three people seemed to fit inside with ease. There was a desk in the middle, as usual, and a man sitting behind the desk. He looked like the type to be a principal, with spectacles and white hair.

Watari and the 'principal' greeted each other like old friends, shaking hands and mumbling words of welcome. L was treated in the same respect, albeit a little colder. And Light was almost ignored completely.

"Take a seat, Quillish, L," the man said, motioning towards three chairs that had probably been put there for this purpose alone. Light reluctantly lowered himself into a seat, reflecting that 'Quillish' must mean Watari, for there was nobody else around. The man walked around the desk and sat neatly opposite them. It was almost like an interrogation.

The Principal smiled, commencing. "So, L's finally come to visit."

There was a moment of silence, before L replied, sitting in his usual position. He didn't seem angry about the abruptness, nor did he insist on being called Ryuzaki. "It's been a long time, Roger. I don't suppose you have cake around, by any chance?" he added slyly.

Light's brain worked out automatically that the principal must be Roger. The man in question merely chuckled, as if a request from the Greatest Detective in the World could be put off until later. "I'm afraid not, but I'll send someone to your room later. Will that suffice?"

L nodded, bringing his thump up to his lips. "Quite."

Roger leaned forward, all amusement evaporating from his eyes. Light could feel the room's atmosphere changing rapidly. Neither L nor Watari protested, so he kept his mouth shut. "So, L, what brings you to Wammy's House? Surely it cannot be the urge to visit your successors?"

The corners of his lips twitched. "Actually, Roger, I came to Wammy's House for help." At a surprised glance, L continued. "You must have heard of the murderer known as 'Kira'. And the media has also announced that I am incompetent on the case. Far from it. I have a suspect, who is sitting right beside me at this moment. Although he is only 6% suspicious, I have nothing else to go on."

Roger shifted his hard gaze to Light, taking note of the student for the first time. "And so you want to see whether your top successors share the same opinion of him," he finished. He received a nod from L.

"I told you we were coming in advance, Roger," Watari spoke up at last. "Have you prepared our rooms?"

At this, Roger was more reluctant, and he nodded nonetheless. "I have. But I am afraid that we are running out of rooms. Quillish, your room is where it was. L, I deeply regret to tell you that you will have to share a room with your suspect. Almost every orphan here shares a room, so I did not prepare any extra..."

Light inwardly shuddered and sneaked a glance at L. The detective didn't look worried, or displeased. In fact, he looked to Light as if this arrangement was perfect.

"That's fine, Roger. I would like to keep an eye on Light-kun here, too."

Roger looked tremendously relieved, as if he hadn't been sure how the detective would take it. "That's good, then. I'll send someone up later with refreshments." He handed L a map and two keys, and smiled.

--

The room, Light thought, wasn't too bad.

There was more than enough space for two people to live comfortably. The walls and bed sheets were a peachy white, and there was a single window in the room. The beds were positioned opposite the room from each other, and each had a desk next to the bed. This arrangement made it seem as if the orphans studied every night before going to sleep. Sure enough, the only thing on the tables was a lamp. Two wardrobes stood in each corner, with a bookshelf next to the table, to be easily accessible. Other than that, the room was bare.

All in all, it reminded Light of a hotel.

L seemed to fit right into it. He opened a suitcase (which had been brought up earlier) and grabbed a laptop and various documents out and laid them on the table the furthest away from the door. Which left Light to the other, badly positioned, bed. L stood on the chair, cocking his head to one side, before sliding evenly into his usual sitting position. With his left thumb in his mouth, he began to flick rapidly through the documents.

Light was left stunned and unable to do anything. He decided to unpack first. Maybe it would feel more like home after everything was laid out. He delicately lifted his folded clothes into his wardrobe, deciding to stick the packaged food on his table for now. His scientific books sat neatly on the bookshelf. When there was nothing else to do, Light sat on the bed and opened his mouth, about to try his luck with talking to L.

There was a knock on the door, breaking the still and slightly awkward silence.

"Come in," L called immediately.

The door creaked open, and a tentative brunet poked his head inside, intelligent eyes looking peaceful and still, like a pond of water. Light was reminded of the cliché proverb, _still waters run deep. _"L, Roger asked me to bring this up to you," the boy said, opening the door wider to reveal a clay tray piled with an assortment of sweets, cakes and chocolates. It looked like a pyramid.

L's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the boy put it down. "Tell Roger thanks." He scrutinized the boy closer. He looked about the same age as Light, 17, with dusty hair and curious blue-purple eyes. "You must be Alternate, or A, correct?"

The orphan bowed. "Yes. I am honoured that you've heard of me, L."

Light rolled his eyes and scoffed inwardly. It was as he had expected. They looked up to L like an idol. Of course, showing any sign of disrespect might lead to L raising the percentage of being Kira. He was already 6%, and Light didn't want it any higher.

"Roger always told me you were the perfect student, Alternate. Maybe you'll succeed me one day," L smiled quietly.

A blushed. He mumbled a reply. Light frowned and leaned fractionally closer, but didn't catch the murmur.

"So, Alternate, how are your classes going?" L asked innocently. "I heard that you were taking extra, because you were the best."

So A was the best in Wammy's House, was he? Light could feel a chuckle of evil laughter coming and, with some difficulty, suppressed it.

At that, A smiled weakly. "I'm doing alright, L. Although nowhere near as good as you, of course."

L patted his head affectionately. "Nonsense. You'll be better than me one day. Everyone here will." Light couldn't decide whether L considered this true, or if he was doing it to boost A's confidence. It was probably the latter, he decided. Surely not everyone at Wammy's House could be so smart. It was the first time that he realized just how powerful Wammy's House really was. The smartest children around the world – they were the world's brightest future! And they could be used for good or ill.

"L, I would be honoured to talk with you, but I have classes to attend to, so may I...?" A stared determinedly at his shoelaces, suddenly finding them of remarkable interest.

Almost immediately, L nodded at the unfinished question. "Of course. I wouldn't want your grades to go down because of me. You may leave now, Alternate." With another bow, A left, and the room returned to the silence beforehand.

L caught his roommate staring at him. "Is something wrong, Yagami-kun? Or did you not think of bringing any form of entertainment with you?"

Light gritted his teeth. In actual fact, he _hadn't_ thought of bringing anything with him. He had merely assumed he would be babysitting orphans. Being stuck in a hotel room was not what he had imagined. There was way too much free time around here than he had expected. But no way was he going to let L know that. "Oh, nothing, Ryuzaki."

"Call me L here, please," the detective nodded, picking up a strawberry on the cake and dropping it into his mouth. "Everyone knows me as L here," he explained.

"Okay, L it is, then," Light agreed, feeling self-conscious. "So, L, was that person just then an orphan living here?"

L nodded. "That was A, the first child to ever come here. A stands for Alternate. Don't expect any real names here, Yagami-kun. Everyone addresses everyone else with codenames." He said it so calmly, as if it were a test for Kira, which it probably was.

Despite looking outwardly calm, Light was flustered. There went his chance of using the Death Note to control A. Maybe if he could just acquire the Shinigami eyes – no. That wasn't even worth thinking about. He was never going to give half his life span when he could use other methods. Besides, Ryuk isn't here anyway, and Rem would hardly agree to the request.

"So this A," Light continued, trying his best not to act suspicious. "You said he was the best. So does that mean he has the most potential to succeed you?"

L's eyes narrowed just a fraction. "You were listening very closely, Yagami-kun. I can understand your curiosity about how Wammy's House functions, but even so, your percentage of being Kira has gone up by another 0.6%."

0.6%. That was quite high, even if it didn't seem so. More than half a percent.

"But in fact," L continued on nonetheless, "it merely means that Alternate's mental capabilities outstrip the other orphans. However, whoever succeeds me is my choice alone. I could refuse Alternate and choose someone else if I wished."

Another fact that could be of importance. Light stored that away in his mind carefully. "He seems like a nice kid," he remarked casually.

L nodded absently, eyes glued to his work. Light sighed, giving up on making conversation and ended up counting the seconds that had passed. He counted up to 62 before he gave up.

"Ryu- I mean L, is there really nothing to do in this place except work?" he asked. Was he really expected to sit here for the next week or two doing nothing? It was boring, and Light hated being bored. That was too much, even for genius Yagami Light.

"Actually," L interrupted, and Light jumped, too engrossed in his thoughts. "I've been meaning to have a tennis rematch lately. How about it, Yagami-kun? Just for fun, of course."

Fun. Light wasn't even sure the detective knew what _fun_ was. But he couldn't refuse. Besides, at least it was doing something. "If you insist," he agreed, rising from the bed. L set off without bothering to lock the door. Frowning, Light hurriedly jammed a key into the lock, turned it, and sprinted after L. The detective navigated the corridors like he had lived here all his life. The only explanation Light could come up with was that he had peered closely at the map beforehand. Without incident, the two of them made it to the sports shed, took out two racquets, a few balls and a net, and set off again.

_Pi-k Poo! Pi-ki Pow!_

L skidded to a halt, almost causing Light to bump into him. L's bulging eyes scanned the deserted corridors, for it was apparently class-time. "I did not just hear that," he muttered to himself, suddenly taking a right and speeding up.

"Huh? Hey, wait! L!" Light called desperately, attempting to catch up. Who would have guessed that the detective would be so fit, especially after eating so many sweets? As he rounded a corner, he almost bumped into L yet again. Looking around, Light realized they were in the kitchen. But the first things that caught his eye were two boys – both around the age of 14. One was poking his head into a pantry and muttering under his breath, and the other was a redhead with goggles and a DS, who looked up as they entered.

"B?" the redhead asked hesitantly, eyes widening behind golden goggles. "Wait, you're not B. You're...!"

"Matt!" the other boy snapped irritably, withdrawing his head from the pantry. He was blond, with hair unnaturally long for a boy, and was holding a startling amount of chocolate bars. "Didn't I tell you not to play games when we're –" He cut himself off abruptly, eyes glued to L. Light felt a little annoyed that he was being ignored. Usually he would be the one famous, and L would be the one feeling rejected, but not here. In Wammy's, L was the star.

"L!" the blond boy gasped in recognition.

"It's nice to see you too, Mello," L greeted back. "And this must be Matt." He indicated the redhead.

Matt blinked. "Woah! It's really L! I thought this was a joke someone would pull or something, but...wow..." He was stunned speechless.

"What are you doing here, L? Aren't you supposed to be working on the Kira case?" Mello demanded. "And who's that guy over there? Why are you holding tennis racquets?"

"This gentleman here is Yagami Light-kun," L introduced matter-of-factly. Light felt Mello and Matt's hostile gazes on him.

"Yagami?" Mello's eyes narrowed, a hint of contempt entering his voice. "He's Japanese, no doubt. Isn't Kira Japanese too?"

"Mello, you really should be a little nicer to the new orphans..." Matt interrupted. "Don't jump to conclusions."

The blond unwrapped a bar of chocolate and snapped it off, the sound echoing into the distance. "New orphans? Look at the way he's dressed, Matt. Formal suit, _tie. _Does he _look_ like an orphan to you? He looks like a stuck-up, snobby person to me."

"Okay okay, just pointing something out, Mel. Chill." Without further thought, Matt buried himself inside his Nintendo once more, odd sounds erupting from the machine.

Light glared as Mello bit off another square of chocolate. He didn't particularly enjoy being called 'stuck-up' and 'snobby'. And he decided he definitely didn't like this 'Mello'.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Mello, Matt?" L asked, totally oblivious to the tension in the air.

Mello paused half-way through biting off another slap of chocolate. "Well, we originally were, but then we passed the kitchen and I really couldn't resist...Sorry, L."

There was a moment of silence as L stared at the chocolate bars long and hard, dark eyes almost seeming to penetrate the wrapping. "Well, why don't you hurry off to class now then?"

"Sure, sure! Just one thing, L," Mello lowered his voice, even though there was nobody else but Matt and Light here. "Just make sure you choose me over Near to be your successor, okay?"

L blinked, apparently not having expected this question. "When the time comes, I'll decide for myself, Mello. Now go to class before you get in trouble again."

Mumbling something that sounded remotely like 'stupid teachers' and 'don't need school', Mello trampled off, with Matt following behind like an obedient puppy. Light was starting to feel very rejected indeed.

"So, Yagami-kun, are we still going to play tennis?" L inquired innocently.

All feelings of rejection disappeared in an instant. "Y-Yeah, let's go then, L."

The grounds were right outside, and Light shielded his eyes slightly as they walked outside. Although it was an overcast day in general, he was unused to the lighting. He could already feel the sun pinned on his back as he set about putting up the net, with L watching. With only the occasional breath of wind and shout of birds, it was deadly silent. There was no sign of chatter coming from classrooms. Were the students all so disciplined, or had the teachers found another way to make them silent?

It was a while later that Light set up the net. By then, L was sucking on a lollipop. At a glance towards his opponent, Light couldn't help but feel irritated. There he was, doing all the work while L could sit back and relax, with all the students looking at him like God. And Kira was supposed to be God. He pushed down his anger, knowing that it will make L more suspicious, and asked in the nicest way possible, "L, I'm ready. Can we play now?"

With a nod, L rose from his position, grasping the tennis racquet firmly, and took a ball. Likewise, Light positioned himself at the opposite end and waited. He had beaten L before. It would not look suspicious if he could do it again, but not by too much. If L won, he may think Light was going easy, and so that proves further that he does not want to be suspected, raising the percentage of him being Kira. So either way, he had to either win or lose by a tiny margin to not arouse suspicion.

L tossed the ball into the air and slammed it with his racquet, and once again, Light was surprised by his sudden speed and strength. The ball shot past him. Annoyed at himself for forgetting L's athletic abilities, he was ready just in time to catch the second ball as it whizzed towards him. The force of the ball made him lose balance slightly, but then Light retaliated, stiffening his wrist and swinging in a smooth motion, allowing the ball to bounce off his racquet and over the net.

He only had a second to rest, before it was back again. It never ceased to amaze him how L could run so quickly without shoes, but right now, Light couldn't think properly. He just had to catch the ball, and not make it too suspicious.

Again and again, the ball bounced from the two geniuses, sometimes speeding faster than the eye could see. It took all of Light's concentration just to hit the ball, and even then he often missed by an inch. L's score was growing steadily higher.

The tennis ball rushed towards him again. Light raised the racquet firmly, grasping it with both hands and positioning himself perfectly. His wrists tensed, ready to take on the weight of the furious ball. He felt it slam into his racquet, and instinctively swung...

"So A _was_ right. L has come to Wammy's House after all!" came a surprisingly cheerful voice.

Shocked by the sudden intruder, Light felt the energy vanish from his wrists immediately. The ball flew weakly, and slammed into the net. Pathetic.

But he would worry about that later. What mattered now was whoever had just spoken. It was still time for class. And there was a tint of something in the voice that Light didn't like. Who would be out here?

Light spun around, eyes darting and looking for the intruder. His eyes widened.

"Hello, Backup," L mused, sounding pleased.

Standing just outside the lawn was a person. But not just any person.

He was standing with a hunch, with black spiky hair, light jeans and a white T-shirt. Crimson eyes, surrounded by a dark frame, looked up at Light cunningly.

It was L.

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**A/N: I done desu. I bet you just _can't_ guess who the person was, especially since I did mention his name. Well, here's a hint: KYAHAHAHAHA! Oh yeah, thanks to _Sazerac_ for the charicterization of A. (there, one sentence, happy?)  
**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. See, it's not that hard, typing in a couple of lines, and then pressing submit. **

**Um...do it? Yup! Um...a cyber pile of sweets for you? (The one A was carrying)**

**So the point is, review.**

**~C  
**


	4. Copycat

**A/N: Hello there! Sorry for not updating for two weeks, but I had a little trouble doing the part after...oh, do you care?****I have had a few reviews telling me how A is dead and B isn't at Wammy's and everything, but I'm telling you now: it's AU! It's fanfiction! It's fine if everything's not according to the main plot! Now that I've got that over with...**

**AUness: A isn't dead, B didn't do the LABB cases, and this is right after Higuchi's been captured. Yosh!**

**Disclaimer: Death Note no mine. Okai!  
**

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**On closer inspection, the man wasn't quite L.

Despite looking like L in every respect, his voice was different. And, as Light shifted his eyes to get a better look, he seemed to be wearing makeup. Probably to disguise himself as the genius detective. Although why he would do such a thing escaped even Light's mental capacity. L was, to put it plainly, a freak. And there really was no need to pretend to be him anyway. It didn't get you closer to being L.

Light's eyes darted from the real L to...the other L...waiting for someone to explain the situation to him.

"B didn't expect L to show up after so long," said the intruder, grinning slyly, and cocking his head to one side. Light winced, half-expected to hear a crack. It looked painful.

L allowed himself a pleasant smile. "Nor did I really, Backup."

Light swore he saw B's crimson eyes glance up at the spot above L's head...the spot where, he knew, the name and lifespan of a person would appear. The red eyes seemed foreboding, as if just looking for trouble. His mind was always thinking, always planning. Backup wasn't any ordinary orphan. He was dangerous.

"B didn't think L would bring someone to Wammy's House. Have you lost your sense of security?" His eyes darted up above Light's head, and he frowned just slightly, before grinning widely again. "Yagami Light seems very suspicious to B."

At this, Light tensed. He could almost see L's eyes glow in surprise and satisfaction. Who was this B? How did he even know his name? And how could he know about Light being Kira without any evidence? Even L hadn't mentioned that yet. Unless...

"How so, B? Surely you're not just guessing?" Light took his chance. "You don't have any evidence to base it on."

B's eyes grew sinister, and Light could almost feel Death touching him. "Yagami Light seems very confident. Does he have a connection to Kira?"

He said it so boldly. Light fought down the urge to strangle this newcomer. Backup or not, he was not going to live for very long.

"What's wrong, Backup?" L asked. "Is there something about Light-kun that doesn't satisfy you?" His large panda eyes x-rayed Light, and the cogs in his brain whirled. Already, there were two more people who thought Light was suspicious, even if they had no proof. L trusted his successors more than anyone else in the world, save Watari.

There was silence for a moment. Light stared at the imitation, fuming inwardly. _This guy...how dare he make fun of me! _To kill B was dangerous, though. L would probably figure out the connection, and his percentage would go up by at least 10%. It was better to let things be for now.

"B doesn't think L can trust Yagami Light. Is he a suspect?"

Speaking in third person annoyed Light immensely, but he was in no position to argue. B had just openly declared that he was not Kira's friend.

L raised a thumb to his lips thoughtfully. "That was quick thinking, Backup."

B smirked. "Of course. B is better than L, after all."

"What makes you think I'm Kira, B?" Light narrowed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. All of a sudden, this guy shows up and accuses him of being Kira. Even L had to have months of preparation! This was outrageous.

B's scarlet eyes glinted. "You have something that nobody else has. Or should I say...you're _missing_ something."

Light's eyes widened in surprise. The only thing a potential Death Note holder was missing was..._the lifespan._ Could this orphan at Wammy's know about such a thing? Light rolled his eyes at himself. Ridiculous.

"I'm missing something? I don't understand what you mean," he said, feigning innocence.

"B thinks you do," the boy replied back smugly.

"That's enough, Backup. We can't accuse Yagami-kun of anything yet," L intervened smoothly. Light noted that he used 'we' and not 'you'. He was sure B heard that too, for the orphan's smirk grew wider. "The more important question is," L continued on flawlessly, "why aren't you in class?"

Light hardly thought that was an important question, but B grinned. "B was taking A to the sick bay, but then B spotted L."

_Sick bay? _L's expression grew serious at once. "What happened, Backup?"

"Nothing much," B replied, and Light heard a nasty tone in his voice. "We were playing volleyball, and A just wasn't careful enough."

Those words, and especially that attitude, didn't sound apologetic in Light's point of view. In fact, they sounded more like they were goading A. "It wasn't anything too serious, was it?" he said, trying to steer the conversation away from himself.

"Nothing you should be worried about, Yagami," B shot back.

"A can look after himself," L said contently. He had apparently missed the point.

Light wasn't stupid enough to tell him, but at that exact moment, the sound of a shrill alarm pierced the hostile silence, causing him to jump. "What was that?" he growled.

L shrugged. "Just the bell."

_The bell? I thought it was a fire alarm!_ Light looked around, watching for any other unnecessary surprises. It wouldn't do to be caught off-guard in a place full of geniuses.

"Dinnertime," B said cheerfully. Without saying a word, he retreated, even steps fading as he crossed the threshold and made his way back into Wammy's.

"We should go too, Light-kun." L's eyes misted, and Light knew he was thinking of all the cakes and sweets there would be for desert. Leaving the tennis racquets and net as they were, Light hurriedly followed L into the dining hall. The tables were placed in a haphazard fashion in the huge room, as if the students rearranged them on a regular basis. B was already there, sitting awkwardly with his legs on the chair, and knees folded up against his chest.

Light mentally sighed in irritation. Not only did B copy L in appearance, he copied him in every aspect! As he watched, the orphan unscrewed a jar of red jam and dipped his fingers into it, scooping out a blob and shoving it down his mouth. Light tried and failed to suppress his disgust.

"Is something wrong, Yagami-kun?" L asked innocently, viewing the wide variety of cakes with a glint in his eye. Light quickly came to realize that this was a sort of buffet, where everyone could choose what they wanted. Thank goodness, or he might have died of starvation.

"N-No, nothing, L," he said with gritted teeth. He chose something any_ normal _person would eat – spaghetti. Beside him, he watched incredulously as L loaded a giant, three-decked ice-cream cake onto his plate, and moved to sit opposite the jam-eating copycat. Reluctantly, Light lowered himself into the chair next to him.

It was still early, and hardly anyone was here. There was only a white-haired boy in pyjamas sitting quietly by himself in a corner. Although hardly anyone could call it 'sitting'. It was not as eccentric as L, but he had one foot on the chair, and the other on the floor. He wasn't eating anything, but was rather playing with a set of robots. Light raised his eyebrow. The boy looked about 13, perhaps younger. A little too old to be playing with childish toys.

The boy looked up and cold, lifeless eyes met Light's curious gaze. He withdrew hastily, aware that he had been caught staring.

"That's Near you're staring at," interrupted a rude voice. Light looked up just in time to see Mello slide in next to B, and Matt after him. Mello was holding a bar of chocolate (hardly anything close to dinner), and Matt, Light was relieved to see, was eating something relatively normal – fried rice. However, he ignored it and continued to press furiously at a handheld PSP, goggled eyes glued to the screen.

Light looked down at his food, feeling his appetite vanish in an instant. With L delicately plucking at his cake, B _drinking_ jam, and Mello breaking off chocolate with a crack every three seconds, it was hard to still eat normally.

He decided that this place was hell.

Light pushed his meal away from him, reflecting that he luckily had brought his own food. Even thought the prospect of instant noodles wasn't very brightening, it was at least better than sitting here, eating with these...freaks...There was no other word to describe it.

"It isn't often that there's a crowd here. Hello, L," said a calm voice.

A blonde girl sat down cautiously next to Light. L leaned over curiously, big bulging eyes seeming to x-ray her.

"You're..."

"It's Linda," the girl smiled.

"Ah, Linda, of course." L nodded sagely, and Light had the urge to smash his forehead against something hard. It was obvious that L hadn't remembered her at all.

Linda either didn't notice, or chose to ignore it. "Who's the new kid?" she asked, eyeing Light. The latter breathed a sigh of relief. There was someone relatively normal in the palace of freaksl!

Across the table, Mello seemed to have heard the conversation. "He's not a new kid, geez. Use your brains, people."

"Mello says he's Kira," Matt added, pausing to look up slightly before returning to his game.

"I did not!" Mello counter accused. "I just said it was possible!"

Linda shrugged. "Whatever. He seems nice to me."

"How would you know, he hasn't even spoken yet," Mello shot back.

Realizing this was true, Light uttered the first thing that came into his mind. "It's very...nice...to meet you," he said with gritted teeth.

Linda nodded understandingly. "It's a pleasure. It may be hard to adjust for the first few days, but then you'll fit right in."

"I'm not an orphan," Light decided to clarify. He inwardly chuckled at Linda's surprised look.

"Oh. I'm sorry, then." She took a sip of orange juice. Across the table, Mello smirked.

"I'm Yagami Light," he said politely, deciding against shaking her hand. Linda was more normal than any other person here, but a hand shake might be asking too much.

"So, Light-san, if you aren't a new orphan, what are you doing at Wammy's House?"

She was sharp. Not as sharp as Mello or B, but still very smart.

"Oh, well I was working with L on the Kira case, when he said he wanted to take a trip to Wammy's House. So I had to go with him."

Mello snorted. "Utter nonsense. He was staring at Near like some creepy pedo stalker."

Light backtracked quickly. "W-What? No! I was just curious," he said defensively.

But apparently, the blond wasn't one to listen. "Oi!" he called loudly, enough for half the room to hear. "Near! Yagami Kira is stalking you!"

Light opened his mouth to protest hastily.

"Mello, half the things that sprout out of your mouth are nonsense," Near said quietly, not even looking up from his wonderful assortment of entertainment. "Even if he is Kira, I doubt that he would take an interest in me. He would be more likely to kill L or A. Maybe you too, Mello, because you're so irritating."

Light blinked. His thoughts were defined perfectly.

Mello twitched. "You pathetic little brat!" he seethed.

Near merely shrugged. "Pathetic or not, I at least am worthy of succeeding L."

"You–!"

Linda's eyes narrowed. "Guys..." she said warningly.

Mello and Near paid no attention. "Mello, stop your ridiculous insults and actually do something useful for once – shut up."

"Why don't you, sheep?" The blond snarled back.

Near shrugged. "Your voice is louder than everyone in here put together."

At that, Mello merely seethed. "Near–!"

"Did I miss something?"

The group turned simultaneously to find A dumping his bag down and taking a seat next to L. Mello glared furiously, and bit off another slab of chocolate. Likewise, Near's eyes returned to his robots.

"No, A, you didn't miss anything," Matt mumbled. He had saved his game and placed the PSP onto the table.

"That's good."

Light faked a concerned look. "Are you okay, A? B told us you were involved in an accident..."

"I'm okay, Light-san. It was nothing major."

Light found no need to respond further, and turned back to the table, staring at it intently. Although he looked perfectly calm – although slightly flustered – on the outside, his mind was thinking rapidly. Had B lied just for an excuse to come and see L? Or had A really been injured, and wasn't showing it?

He frowned. This didn't really matter.

Linda seemed content just sitting there and eating. Light admired her courage. Just the thought of sitting here and eating with these weirdos made his stomach squirm uncomfortably.

"I...I'm full. I think I'll leave now," he said quietly, getting up as unnoticed as he could. Unfortunately, the moment he left for the staircase, Light felt L's dark eyes boring into his back.

As he had expected, L spoke up. "If Yagami-kun is full, then I shall accompany him to..._our_ room." Without a word of complaint (probably because nobody dared to argue against L), he picked up his cake and slouched towards where Light was waiting, half-frozen. "Well, if you may, Yagami-kun."

Light nodded furiously, and trampled up the stairs as fast as he could in an effort to shake L off. But once again he had forgotten the detective's athletic ability, and he found L snapping at his heels. He could hear noises coming from the dining hall, but all the mattered right now was to not appear too suspicious. He jammed the key of their room into the lock, and the door swung open.

The room looked untouched on the surface. Either nobody had come in, or someone had replaced everything extremely well. But then again, there was nothing precious in the room. Nothing that would lead to him being Kira. That was fine, for now.

"Is something wrong, Yagami-kun?" L asked from behind him. It was then that Light realized he was standing in the doorway, blocking whoever tried to come in.

"N-No, nothing, L," he said hastily and as smoothly as he could manage. But L, it seemed, wasn't fooled.

"You don't trust my successors," L said firmly. It was not a question, but a statement. And immediately, Light knew it was pointless to lie.

"Not really," he admitted. "They're an odd bunch."

Behind him, L's lips curved into a slight smile and he pushed past Light, settling comfortably on his chair again. Light sighed, grabbing a cup of Instant Noodles. He was just going to tear open the lid, however, when the door opened.

"Is Yagami insulting Wammy's House?" B asked slyly, poking his head through the door.

"B, leave him alone." Another voice, one Light identified almost immediately as the quiet, studious A.

"Why?" B jeered. "He has brought his own food when we have dinner downstairs. And he's Kira." His eyes flickered to the top of Light's head once more.

At this, Light decided to speak. "I'm not Kira, B. What makes you think I am?" _Besides, who could eat downstairs with _you_ around? _He rolled his eyes.

B's eyes narrowed. "You don't have it," he said stubbornly.

A sighed. "That's enough, Backup. Leave them."

Light could feel three pairs of eyes on him. He had to choose his words carefully, for L was no doubt analysing every second of this conversation. "I don't know what you're talking about, B," he said evenly. "What don't I have?" But he knew. The only thing on top of a person's head was the name and lifespan. Light wasn't dead, so his name must be up there. But Death Note holders didn't have a lifespan...

He shook his head. That was stupid. There was no way a child from Wammy's House could possibly posses Shinigami eyes. But then again, the very existence of Death Note and Shinigami was questionable. He had to open his eyes to all the possibilities.

The red-eyed orphan smirked. "You know more than you let on, Yagami Light. B can _see._"

_See what? _thought Light suspiciously. B was mocking him. _Could he possibly see my name, but no lifespan? But how could he if he isn't a Death Note holder? Does he have a Shinigami with him and secretly...No. That's impossible_

This river of thought he had followed many times, but each was as mysterious as the last. It didn't really matter, Light decided. B still had no proof, and L wasn't likely to believe such a far-fetched story.

And then it hit him.

L.

The person who addressed himself by a thousand different aliases. If Misa couldn't see his name, then perhaps B...? It might be too much to wish for, but Light knew he could extract the information out of the orphan if needed. L was open in Wammy's House right now. Anyone could see his name and lifespan. Did he trust Wammy's House so much? If so, there only needs to be one traitor, and L's world would fall apart.

And B was the perfect person. With his supposed Shinigami eyes, he could see L's lifespan. _Pay attention, B! _Light thought intently. _Have a good look at L's name and lifespan. And use it to kill him!_

B couldn't possibly know about the existence of Death Notes. But if he had the Shinigami eyes, but some cursed chance, he was needed.

"B knows what you are thinking, Yagami Light," the boy smirked nastily. "Let me make something clear for you. I will catch Kira before L, and I will prove that B does not stand for Backup. B stands for Brilliant. For Better. For Best."

Light was reminded once again that in no way could B possibly be an ally. He had made his side clear the moment he set his eyes on Light. Besides, he wasn't sure he could stand working with such a freaky person. No, he needed someone who could work in the shadows. Be known, but not suspected. Understand, but not deduce too much. Someone who followed his line of thought, and was quiet and intelligent.

And then the answer struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The first child at Wammy's House.

The Alternate.

A.

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**A/N: Sorry to everyone who saw that coming, but it was inevitable...in the plot...**

**Anyway, will you review? Please? I tried my best, really! And my muse is extremely happy it published another chapter, so pweese?**

**Arigato yo! Bai bai! -waves-  
**


	5. Classes

**A/N: O.M.G. I'm so proud of myself! I actually got another chapter published :D (nevermind that it was a couple of months after the one before). What's important is, there's a new chapter! -gasp- ...you guys are all skipping this A/N, aren't you? Probably...oh well. Anyway, I have excuses! I really do! First, my laptop broke down. And then I rewrote the start about five times (true!) because I didn't like it. It used to be a lot longer...but I don't like long stuff. And then after my laptop was fixed, I got into another manga, and then cosplay, and then I had a bad report so I had to study.**

**Don't expect another chapter for at least 2 weeks :D I ish going skiiing! (ish very happy bout that). Anyway, read on, my minions!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I would be fired at the rate I'm writing...OTL**

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**There were 26 letters in the alphabet.

There were 23 orphans of the first generation of Wammy's House.

The three skipped letters were L, W and R.

Beyond Birthday was the B of Wammy's House. And in B's opinion, he was by far the most special. Special with his Eyes.

"_He knew your name before you said it._

_He could see the lifespan of every person he met…"_

Except one.

Yagami Light.

The moment Beyond Birthday set his eyes on Yagami Light, he knew there was something wrong. Something that should be there wasn't.

It infuriated him. It humiliated him to know that his Eyes didn't work – that his Eyes had exceptions.

"B's eyes have no exceptions."

The crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Yagami Light, B is waiting for you. Henh henh henh."

And like a Shinigami, Beyond Birthday disappeared into the shadows.

--

The rays of brilliant sunlight crept into the room, illuminating the plain whiteness and sneaking over a 17 year old teenager. Yagami Light's eyes snapped open and he was instantly alert. He had, if truth be told, been awake for the last hour or so, feigning sleep and bidding his time to see if whether or not L would return.

His efforts had been fruitless, as the detective had not set foot in the room ever since dawn. Nevertheless, it had been worth a try.

Changing quickly into a suit, Light accomplished his morning tasks without a second's pause, and walked casually downstairs. It would not do to tiptoe or act suspicious, just in case anyone saw him. Walking naturally, he reached the kitchen to find L deep in discussion with a group of his successors. Mello and Matt were there, as well with the mysterious Near, Alternate and Backup.

They were discussing in low whispers and murmurs, which made them more suspicious. As Light drew towards them, all orphans hurriedly closed their mouths and turned to their food (which Light remembered they had neglected the day before).

"Good morning, L."

The detective looked up from his giant cake and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. "Did you sleep well, Yagami-kun?"

"It was comfortable." Light was about to ask about L himself, for it was only natural to exchange pleasantries, but remembered that the detective did not, in fact, sleep.

Merely nodding, L returned to eating the cookie, leaving Light to choose his own food. Walking to the buffet table, he realized that there was nothing _but_ sweets to eat for the morning meal. _They must have specially prepared for L,_ he thought determinedly. There surely had to be normal people in here. Instead, he sat back down opposite Near, fighting the urge to ask whether there was anything savoury in the orphanage.

The white-haired boy looked up briefly and shot him a hostile glare, before returning to his robots.

Light blinked, surprised by the unfriendliness. He had never done anything wrong to Near. Or at least, anything he was conscious of. Was the orphan just naturally antisocial?

"Ignore Near, Yagami," Mello interrupted, snapping him out of his thoughts. The look in the blond's eyes told Light everything he needed to know. Mello must hate Near. A lot.

"Ignore Mello, Light," Matt rolled his eyes.

Mello turned to the redhead, enraged and with a look of disbelief etched on his face, though it was hard to tell how much of the reaction was genuine. "Matt!"

Light chuckled inwardly. How betrayed Mello must feel. His eyes slid over to A, who had bags under his eyes and nose inside a thick textbook. The orphan looked as if he hadn't slept for several nights…which was probably true, Light reasoned.

He was hungry now, but there was nothing to eat for a normal person. All he could do was sit there and stare as the Wammy orphans ate what they considered to be 'breakfast'.

"Yagami-san, does our food not suit your taste?"

He blinked before realizing that it was A who was talking. The boy had been so quiet that Light had almost forgotten about him. Brown eyes met purple ones, and then darted down to see what A was eating. An apple. Normal enough. Perhaps too normal.

"You mustn't worry about me, A," he replied evenly, although his stomach was screaming otherwise. _I guess the body can't lie, _Light sighed mentally.

"No way, Yagami-san!" A exclaimed. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You won't be able to function properly if you skip it."

"You sound like you're talking about a machine, A," B sniggered, grinning threateningly. "Now now, don't stop Yagami from his breakfast. Go on, Yagami."

Light forced himself to ignore both of them, and instead concentrated on staring at a window. He didn't know how long he spent looking, but some time later a siren went off.

"Time for class," Matt said abruptly, sliding out of his chair with gameboy still in hand. He proceeded to turn left and walk…right into a pillar. "Ow, Mello!" He hurriedly saved his game.

The blond friend rolled his eyes. "That wasn't my fault, Matt. Stop walking into walls. Next thing you know, you'll be walking into L."

Light couldn't see anything wrong with walking into L, but the orphans at Wammy's obviously did. A winced, B cackled, L smiled, and Matt ducked his head. And the expressionless Near just stood up and walked away.

The brown-haired student stared. He hadn't even considered the fact that Near could walk.

"Psh, well, I'm going to class now," Mello announced dramatically, dragging Matt by the gameboy. Light didn't know whether Mello wanted to beat Near, or whether he just didn't want to get to class late with L watching. Perhaps it was both.

"I'll take my leave now, L, Light-san." And hurrying to catch up with Mello, A sprinted up the stairs.

"Later, L, Yagami," B waved. And then he was gone.

Which left Light and L by themselves, quite lost on what to do.

"Well, Yagami-kun, what do you suggest we do?" L asked calmly, sucking on his thumb. Just the look of it sickened Light, but he was in no position to argue.

"I don't suppose there is anything interesting around here, Ryu- I mean, L," the boy replied just as evenly, determined to show no emotion. _I just nearly called him Ryuzaki again…I should get used to calling my enemy by their title and public face, not by some made-up nickname. _His brow creased slightly.

L, on the other hand, suddenly had a light-bulb moment…figuratively speaking, of course. His eyes lit up and a positively delightful gleam came into them. Light leaned in slightly, ready to hear the spectacular news.

"We could go and look at some of the classes," the detective said brightly.

If this were anime, Light would have fell down anime-style. On the other hand, this is real life (or so he thought), and so Light considered merely slamming his head against the wall.

Perhaps fortunately for him, his sensible side came to just in time and he resisted.

"L-L! That's the worst suggestion I've heard in years!"

L blinked innocently with his huge round eyes. If this were 20 years ago, the look would have been downright adorable. But right now, he just looked stupid.

"Do you have a better suggestion, Yagami-kun?"

"Well – no, but – L!" Light protested weakly as his arch enemy dragged him along towards the stairs.

"If you don't have better suggestions, you have no right to protest," L said sagely.

Light, who was being pulled along, cursed his luck.

--

After getting lost three times, asking for directions, getting lost again, stopping to eat and then asking for more directions, the duo finally reached the classroom which they were searching for. Or at least, they think they've arrived.

"According to this map, this should be Near, Mello and Matt's classroom," L said slowly, peering down at the wrinkled piece of paper and utterly naïve to his map-reading mistakes.

Light sighed. "L, are you _sure_ this is the right place? I don't want to look stupid by walking into the wrong classroom again."

"100% sure, Yagami-kun," L replied, giving Light confidence until… "Or perhaps it would be 90%. Or 80% Perhaps even 70 or 60%...no, I am less than 20% sure, Yagami-kun."

"H-How…" Light gaped, stunned. "How did we just manage to run around for an hour and still not know where we are!" he fumed.

The detective promptly ignored him and pulled open the door. There was a collected gasp of "ohhh"s and "ahhh"s as the Great Detective made his appearance.

Bowing politely to the teacher, L surveyed the sea of students. "There you are, Mello-kun, Near-kun!"

Near looked up with bored eyes, while Mello grinned. "Did you hear that everyone? L spoke to me! L! I'm going to become the successor for sure!"

Behind the door, Light rolled his eyes. _Attention-seeking prat. _As if L hadn't spoken to them before.

"Whad'ja come here for, L?" Mello declared loudly, showing the class that he wasn't afraid to speak to L.

There was another collection of "oohhh"s and "ahhh"s.

Light headbashed.

"I came over to see how you all were doing." L frowned suddenly, looking at the blackboard. He rubbed everything off it (much to the teacher's disapproval) and wrote a sum that had many difficult symbols. "Now, who can answer that?"

Nobody spoke.

"Nobody?" L asked incredulously. It was apparent that he had to solve these type of questions every day.

"X equals -4.25." Although quiet, the voice shot through the silence.

"Correct, Near," L nodded wisely.

It occurred to Light that he had never actually heard Near's voice until now. He poked his head past the door in time to see the white-haired boy smirk, glance at Mello superiorly, and return to his robot-building. The chocoholic seethed.

Light glanced at the question again. Indeed, X did equal to -4.25. And it was terribly difficult too. But something a genius like him could do easily.

"Why is Yagami here?" Matt asked. It was at first considered a stupid question, but then gradually everybody realized that nobody knew exactly who Yagami _was. _Except for Mello and Matt, but they don't count. Murmurs and whispers began to rise from the crowd.

"Yagami Light-kun is my guest," L interrupted smoothly. "I expect you all to be on your best behaviour."

Light could picture all the orphans saluting. Their sole attention was focused on the celebrity in front of them.

The teacher coughed. "If you don't mind, L and guest, you are disrupting my class. I'm sorry, but I must ask you to go outside now. The children will not learn properly in this distracting environment."

L nodded. "Of course. Sorry for interrupting." And he slid outside smoothly again.

"No, L! Don't go!" Mello yelled, and several of the students nodded vivid agreement. But L merely smiled goofily and shut the door, blocking out all noise.

"That was a complete waste of time," Light said straightforwardly.

L smiled. "It was a fun waste of time, Yagami-kun." Leaving Light to think about how wasting time could possibly be fun, the detective treaded softly down the stairs.

--

If Light thought their trip was finally over, he was dead wrong. L stopped at another classroom once more and this time cautiously opened the door. Light couldn't hear a single sound from the other side. It was as if time had frozen…or maybe the classroom was just empty.

"Hello," L said politely. "You don't mind if we intrude for a little while now?"

After a few more lines of talk, L ushered Light inside, closing the door lightly behind them. Immediately, Light was confronted with a room full of teenagers of his own age. Among them was A, and, to his immense dislike, B.

L dragged him to the back of the classroom, where the two of them sat down in empty chairs. A kept shooting nervous glances towards the back of the class.

"Alternate, you seem awfully distracted today," the teacher remarked idly, tapping a stick at the blackboard. "Try and pay attention please."

A ripple of laughter resounded throughout the class. B laughed the loudest.

"Ah…" A's head snapped around so fast that the bones in his neck cracked. "I'm sorry."

--

Twenty minutes passed, and Yagami Light was already bored. Granted, his attention span was not the best, and the class was too boring and silent for his liking. He had solved the last of the advanced algebra questions written on the board five minutes ago, and was now looking for something to occupy his attention.

The teenager glanced beside him, where L was sitting in his weird position staring at the board. Light realized that he had never once seen L bored. The detective was always doing something, whether tackling cases or stacking marshmallows. Even now, he looked completely focused on the board.

_He's waiting for me to drop my guard and do something stupid,_ Light calculated mentally. If he was bored, he would drop his guard. And if even one breath was out of line, L would count that as evidence and use it against him.

And so Light spent the next five minutes concentrating on his breathing in the completely empty classroom.

Five minutes later, he was bored again.

"Ryu- L," he hissed quietly, glancing ever so slightly at the detective beside him. L stirred, and blinked.

"Yagami-kun?"

"L, what was the point of coming here exactly?" Light demanded, ignoring the glances of the nearest student.

L smiled goofily, large eyes almost twinkling with excitement. "I'm waiting, Yagami-kun," he replied nonchalantly, turning back to the board.

The student sighed and rolled his eyes. That much was obvious. But he knew from experience that L wouldn't answer no matter how much he asked, so Light settled with trying to decide what exactly L was staring at.

And then the bell rang.

Light blinked as the class rose in a single movement and left. He stared, open-mouthed, as the teacher wiped all the equations off the blackboard.

"L, whatever you were waiting for hasn't come," he sighed. "This was a waste of time. Can we leave now?"

The detective looked shocked at his words. "What are you talking about, Yagami-kun? It hasn't happened yet!"

"_What_ hasn't happened yet?" Light barely managed to contain his frustration. They had been sitting here for more than half an hour for nothing.

"Were you waiting for us, L?" the most annoying voice in history cackled. Light closed his eyes and wished that his ears were deceiving him. But when he opened them again, Alternate and Backup were standing in front of him.

L nodded. "Well deduced, Backup," he said smoothly.

Light had the urge to strangle him.

"You didn't have to wait to the end of the lesson," A said. "You could've just pulled us two out."

"You just want to skip, don'tcha?" B shot him a nasty glance.

A seemed unmoved. Light realized that this must happen to him all the time. "Of course not, B. I merely wished not to waste L's time. He's must be busy."

"That's very true, A," L intervened, "but I wouldn't want you to miss out on your education."

The boy flushed with embarrassment and happiness. _They really do think of L as nothing but a God here,_ Light thought bitterly.

B obviously did not take being ignored to kindly. "What?" he snapped, obviously irritated. "Just tell us what you want, L."

L smiled. "Nothing really, B. I just wanted to see what you thought of your classes."

"W-What?!" B's eyes widened with anger and his voice shook. "You just sat through half our lesson and now you ask me what _I thought of the class?_"

Light had the urge to suddenly face fault. That stupid L really had a lot of time to waste. "That's right, L. You could've asked them beforehand, right?" he said, trying to sound reasonable. "There's no need to sit through the class and ask them afterwards."

But this time, the detective shook his head. "Of course not, Yagami-kun. If I'd have done that, B would definitely have lied. Or perhaps he would give me the half-truth. What I'm asking now is about _this_ lesson in particular."

Although it didn't make sense at first, Light's mind slowly grasped what L was trying to say. If L had asked them beforehand, B would probably tell him of the best (or worst) lesson they had ever had. By doing it the long, slow and boring way, L would make sure that the chances of lying about their classes were an absolute 0.

Light still didn't agree wasting half an hour, though. Classes didn't matter.

"L…" B was no longer trying to hide his contempt. "You really think I would lie to you?"

"Lying is as natural to you as sweets are for me," L responded smoothly.

"That's no way to compare things!"

"But," A intervened, "I think L is right. To ask us about classes beforehand before experiencing it himself would be a waste of time."

_That's…a very interesting way of wording things. _Light's eyes narrowed a fraction.

A continued. "I personally thought that lesson was quite interesting. The questions were a little simple, but there were concepts that I do not recall studying before."

"Liar," B hissed.

"Really?" L asked curiously, dark-brimmed eyes opening widely. "I thought that lesson was boring, actually."

"Eh?" A blinked, obviously having not expected that answer.

"Henh." B chuckled. "That lesson was useless. A complete waste of time."

"I disagree, B. The concept of –"

"Oh cut it out," he sniggered. "To surpass L, you need to develop _your own_ concepts. Copying from somebody else isn't going to help."

"That's not true, B," Light countered. "To base your concepts on the laws of others, isn't that just like standing on top of their shoulders?"

The boy glared nastily, as if like a child deprived of his lollipop. "What do you know, Yagami? Just stand there, keep your mouth shut and thank the _great_ L for even taking you here," he spat, accenting the word 'great' maliciously.

"Cut it out, guys," A sighed. "Look who's here."

Light looked up and followed his gaze, landing on a mop of white hair. Dark eyes stared back steadily.

"Hello, L," Near said quietly. "I need to talk to you."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I originally planned this a lot more...boringer...but I lengthened it, so kapowie. I didn't really know how to end it, but I love Near too much. I'm sorry if you think there's too much A and B...they're part of the plot, really! (if you have any suggestions about their personality, I'd love to hear them). Also, there seems to be very little Light in this one...OTL I fail.**

**Anyway, I don't like this story title anymore ^^ So I'll be looking for a new one. Please review/pm any suggestions to me! Thank you! Also, my current plot (yes, I _do_ have a plot) seems very...filled with A and B...so if anyone is against that or wants more L/Near/Mello/Matt/whatever should also review/pm me :D**

**So, recap. Review. Give new story title. Give plot suggestions.**

**Until next time, minions~!**

**C.C.  
**


	6. Guard dogs

**A/N:** ...LONG TIME NO SEE GUYS! It's not my fault, it's my friend's fault, who dragged me into Reborn. And the result? I don't update . I'm so so so sorry, guys, but I promise that I WILL update regularly from now on. And my plot's back on track...ish xD This isn't a long chapter, but Mello and Matt are in this one, so enjoy ^^ I'll try and get out the next one in a few days, so please stick with me here.

Once again, I'm so sorry for not updating. The reason for this sudden update? I was reading the LABB case for the 5th time, and it occurred to me that this fanfic had been neglected. SO I'M SO SORRY!

Disclaimer: Death Note does not belong to me. Not enough time or brainpower to think of a witty one this time, sorry.

THIS IS AU! That means that A is not dead, B hasn't done the LABB cases and the Mad Bombings hadn't happened.

* * *

"L, I need to talk to you."

L cocked his head to the side in surprise, absently placing a finger onto his lips. "What is it, Near?"

Near nodded his head towards the corridor and began to make his way outside again. Light could only watch in curiosity as L slouched off his chair and followed the orphan. This seemed to be important information, so most likely Near had led L somewhere private, where there was no chance of being overheard. It would seem too suspicious to exit the room, even if he had an excuse.

As the minutes passed with L out of the room, Light began to fidget. It wasn't only that he was curious. L was out of the room, he could make an escape now. Wait…escape? Escape from what? To where?

Light became apparent that A and B were staring at him. B kept shooting furious glances, as if it were his fault that L was now out of the room, and so they couldn't argue. A was looking at him curiously, blinking every so often and tilting his head slightly to the side.

"What?" Light demanded.

Both looked away immediately.

Was he that suspicious? Did they have to keep an eye on him everywhere he went? Light found himself gradually resenting those glances. At school it was fine; everyone knew Yagami Light, model student with top grades. But here, he was just _the person L dragged along who could possibly be Kira._ Not that they were wrong, of course, but it was still irritating.

He hardly noticed as L re-entered the room again. His face no longer had the half-smirk. Instead, his eyes were wide open and seemed…troubled.

Light shook his head. Who was he kidding? L? Troubled?

"Yagami-kun," L said quietly, and he did not seem playful in the least. "I have just received a message from the Japanese government. Apparently, they seem to have sighted another suspect who could be Kira, and have captured him for questioning. They require me to be there. Or at least, they require my presence to assure the public."

Light inwardly whooped. Without L here, he could infiltrate Wammy's House. And then the person to take L' place would only be a figurehead with Kira working behind it. But on the outside he adopted a confused look.

"But, L, you could just control it from here, you don't need to go," he objected, faking innocence.

L's lips curved into a grim smile. "I thought you would have been glad for me to go, Light-kun," he smiled. "But the police have never trusted me, and I believe that it is in the best interests of the general public for me to be in Japan."

Resisting the temptation to throw a party, Light blinked. "So…so…" he said carefully, "you're leaving Wammy's House?"

"Yes."

"Wait, L!" A interrupted. He had been so quiet that Light had almost forgotten he was in the room. "You can't just walk out of here! Are you just going to leave us? You haven't even been here for a week! What about Light-san? This is our only chance in ages to –"

"What an awful lot of questions, Alternate," L remarked, cutting him off. "I'll leave Light-kun here in your capable hands. I believe this shouldn't need more than a week, so I will be back before then."

Excellent! Light smirked. He would need less than a week to complete the domination of Wammy's House. And then all he needed to do was kill L, and the world would be Kira's at last.

And without another word, L walked out of the room.

--

When Light woke up the next morning, there was only one occupant in the room. L had presumably packed and left during the night. Allowing himself an evil grin, he almost pranced down the stairs and into the dining hall, wondering the reaction of the Wammy orphans when this piece of information leaked out.

Needless to say, there was an uproar.

"What do you mean L's leaving!" Mello demanded angrily, shaking A as hard as he could muster. "He's not leaving after just arriving here! I was going to show him my improved school work after the test results came out!"

"But…but…I had to ask him about computers!" a disappointed Matt protested. "There are so many things I still don't get. How did he do that weird big L thingy...and how did the..."

"I wanted to try drawing him," Linda piped up. "To have a perfect picture of _the_ L! I mean, it's not like it's dangerous or anything..."

"When's he going to come back?" asked a boy who apparently was called 'Y'.

Even Near, who normally didn't care about these things, was strangely subdued as he sat in his usual corner.

The only person who did not seem to be affected was B. He still grinned nastily and shot Light uncomfortable glances, but it was bearable. Without L, Light felt wonderfully free.

Or at least he _was _feeling wonderfully free until the post arrived that morning. As Matt passed him a letter with his name, Light only needed to glance once at it before recognising the handwriting and mentally face palming. It was from Misa – no surprises there.

He pocketed it, meaning to open it when there weren't so many people around. It could, after all, contain more information about L's departure.

It was for that reason that he finished breakfast as fast as possible (after L left, it seemed like there were more normal food, although _only _chocolate for breakfast was not considered very normal) and climbed up the stairs to the room that now only had one occupant.

Ripping open the letter, he could see that it contained a photograph of Misa in Goth Lolita and a letter. At once he realized that this was nothing to do with L, or even Kira. He had forgotten for a moment that she no longer had the Shinigami eyes or any memory of the Death Note at all. Berating himself for his stupidity, Light threw the letter onto his bed and headed back downstairs, determined to enjoy his first day without L.

--

After a few hours, it became clear that Light was indeed _not_ having the time of his life. Instead, he was rather bored. The grounds were empty and everyone was in class. He did glimpse B a few times, and even almost ran into Y once.

Finding the need to use his intelligence, Light sat down on a nearby stool and planned what he was going to do with Wammy's House. First, he would have to use someone to control the House. Someone with power. His first thought was B, but he immediately discarded it. B was too smart and too wary. No, he needed someone intelligent but gullible – someone who didn't believe he was Kira.

Something clicked.

At the same time, the bell rang, signalling the start of a short recess break.

--

As children of all ages spilled out onto the lawn, some clutching giant books or laptops and others holding small lunch boxes, Light made his way through the crowd. The dining hall seemed to have very few things, as opposed to breakfast, lunch and dinner. For recess, he grabbed a simple bag of potato chips and prepared to head back outside. Without L, it felt as if he was finally free from his shackles. Kira could act at last.

He had to remember to thank the Japanese police force.

Light was almost out the door when he felt several pairs of eyes scrutinizing him. Turning around, he caught sight of mops of blond and red hair. Mello and Matt again. Matt's cheeks heated up slightly as he realized that they had been discovered, but Mello marched straight over.

"Listen up, Kira!" the blond barked, as always holding a bar of chocolate. Light was surprised at the force in his voice. "If you make one wrong move or even try _anything_ while L isn't here, I swear to God I'm going to...going to..." He paused, struggling to find words for the horrible punishment which would follow.

"...throw you into a pit of lava," Matt interjected helpfully.

"Yeah, that!"

Light merely smiled. Mello was just trying to be intimidating – he could hardly care less. "What are you talking about, Mello?" the genius asked, keeping his voice controlled and natural. "I'm not even Kira, why would I do anything wrong?"

Mello fumed. "One wrong move, Yagami," he snarled, and made a slashing movement in front of his neck. It was obviously symbolizing death.

Light waited for Mello to leave and go play somewhere else, but the blond did no such thing. Instead, he merely glared up at him, while occasionally biting some chocolate. Matt, likewise, was not playing his game, but peering through his goggles.

He considered asking the two of them to leave, but was unable to find a way to voice that without arousing even more suspicion. So instead, he said, "Mello, Matt, if you don't mind, I'm going to eat...recess...now..." Light gestured vaguely towards his bag of potato chips, still in hand. Carefully, making sure his movements seemed natural, he navigated his feet to the shade of a giant tree. It was a nice place, with shade and seclusion, yet not completely separated from the main building. As expected, Mello and Matt followed, like two angry dogs on a lead.

Trying to ignore the glares, Light settled himself down comfortably just as the bell rang again. Apparently, their recess here was only 10 minutes long, or so it had felt. Matt jumped, and Light heard Mello curse, but they did not seem to be moving to class.

"Mello, Matt, the bell just rang," he pointed out unnecessarily.

Mello shrugged. "So? We're not moving anywhere. We're doing L's job – keeping an eye on the suspect!"

"That's not a very nice thing to say," Light pointed out.

Mello rolled his eyes and shrugged again. Matt looked apologetic, but didn't argue.

--

Fifteen minutes later, with his back resting uncomfortably against the trunk of the tree which, Light realized, was not very soft after all, boredom had descended on the 17 year old. Matt had brought out his PSP and began pressing the keys at an insane speed. Mello, however, was still staring like a statue at him.

"Excuse me, Mello," Light had the urge to say, because all the staring was really annoying. Not to mention the shackles he had shaken off a few hours before were really starting to come back tighter. "Could you please stop staring? It's a bit annoying."

"What, and let you kill me when my back's turned?" Mello growled back. "No way, Kira."

"I'm not—" Light began, and then sighed. It was futile to argue with such a persistent annoying person. "Look Mello, why don't we just –"

"There you are, Mello, Matt!"

A loud voice interrupted and Light spun around to find Roger striding towards them. The expression on his face was similar to one a naughty student faced when in the presence of an angry principal. "Twenty minutes late!" Roger shouted, reaching them and hauling both boys to their feet. "I think that's a record, boys! And you're supposed to be one of the best! _What_ did you think you were doing?"

Mello looked away pointedly, and Matt hastily paused and saved his game.

"We were..." Mello began hesitantly, "We were just..."

"You were just what?" Roger asked, sounding all too intimidating.

Light could feel a bout of evil laughter coming on. Once again, he suppressed it with some difficulty. But by this time, Mello seemed to have an idea coming on.

"We were keeping an eye on Yagami," Mello said smartly, pointing in Light's general direction. "L said before he left to keep an eye on the suspect."

"Did he?" Roger's tone suggested that he didn't believe them in the slightest.

"It's true!" Matt added.

Roger's expression softened by a fraction. "Okay. Go to class, now. I'll send someone else more sensible and capable as soon as possible."

"But!" Mello protested.

Roger's intimidating glare stopped him in his sentence. "_Now_, Mello."

The blond bit off a slab of chocolate and rolled his eyes. "Pssh, fine, Roger. Whatever. C'mon, Matt."

Watching with approval, Roger waited until the boys were out of earshot. "Stay right here please, Yagami Light-san. A will be here with you shortly." And then he left too.

When Roger had entered the building once more, Light allowed an evil grin to dawn on his face. Eyes alight with excitement, he even allowed an evil cackle.

"Kukuku...Kira's reign on L's favourite orphanage is about to start...kukuku."

* * *

**A/N: **So, did you like it? I'm sorry, I'm really short on time, but...PLEASE REVIEW!

If you review more, I'll update faster ^^ (I promise I will, I promise)

~C.C.


	7. Near

**A/N: **I guess I should apologize for the super-long delay, but I suppose you'll never forgive me anyway. Remember the promise I made last chapter? (No? Don't worry then) Scrap it. I'll update when I feel like it...I've also scrapped my plot, so I'll be asking for plot suggestions. A lot more thought was put into this one than the last one. But first, to my Anon reviewers:

lolz - Haha, sorry about that. But Near has quite a big role in this one, so I hope you'll like it ^^

DN Fan - I understand perfectly that Backup is Beyond, and so is Rue Ryuzaki. It's just that L defeated B, so he has full right to the title 'Rue Ryuzaki'. I have gotten my facts completely right, so please, don't say stuff like that T_T And yes, Misa is Amane. I don't get what you're saying...

Disclaimer: Me? Death Note? What part of me makes you want to think that?

* * *

Letting out a sigh, Light sat down with his back resting against the tree trunk. Finally, those two orphans were out of the way, and so was L. It was like an impossible dream come true, and it was only about to get better. He already had a plan. It just needed to be carefully executed. As much as he hated to admit it, the orphans in this house weren't completely stupid, but that might work to his advantage. Step by step, he could dominate Wammy's House. It was only a matter of time.

The sound of soft footsteps on grass alerted him to A's presence. Light stood up hastily, seeing the boy walk towards him. "Sorry for this, A," he quickly apologized, when he was within earshot. "I didn't – I mean, I'm not – it's just Mello thinks–"

"I understand, Yagami-san," A nodded quietly.

They lapsed into silence. Light carefully considered what he was about to say, mentally weighing his options. Then, when he had made up his mind, he spoke. "So, A," he began, "do you...like Wammy's House?"

The other didn't reply for a moment. "What do you mean by 'like', Yagami-san?"

_Good!_ Light thought triumphantly. _Not a straight answer. That__'ll be easier for me. _"Well," he said, "would you want to live somewhere else? Like, maybe...with your parents, if they were still alive?"

"...I wouldn't know how that would be like."

"You see, to be truthful, A..." he paused, feigning hesitancy. "I...I kind of...well, my father was once acquainted with a couple who looked a lot like you. And...they had a son your age as well. But they suddenly disappeared after a while. So I was just thinking, you know...maybe–"

A's eyes widened, catching on immediately. "Really, Yagami-san?" he asked excitedly. "What did they look like? Were they nice?"

Light purposefully evaded all the questions and continued, with no complaints from A. "After some time, my father realized – he's in the police force – that they were...actually...still alive, but had lost their son. If you want to meet them, I can take you? But then, you might have to leave Wammy's."

A was silent. And then he shook his head. "They'd never let me, Yagami-san. I'm sorry."

Light seemed disappointed. "But do you want to see?"

"Of course!"

An immediate response. That was also good. "Well, I can talk to Ryu—I mean, L and Roger for you. But I don't know if I could do it by myself..." The pace was perfect. The not-so-subtle hint had been dropped.

"I'll help!" A said gladly. "Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it. It's a promise, Yagami-san!" he smiled.

Light smiled too, but behind his polite mask, his evil self was smirking with triumph. "Alright. When I get time to talk to Roger, I'll tell you about it. For now, I feel like a bag of potato chips. Care to accompany me?" _Crap, I changed the subject too fast..._ Light told himself, but A didn't seem to have noticed. With a nod, the two of them went on their way.

-xox-

The two of them had left.

Near lowered the earphones from his ears, looking for the most part uninterested, but also a little disappointed. The window seat he had was the perfect vantage point for viewing Yagami Light – and of course he had chosen it that way. Subtly, he folded up his earphones and glanced towards the flickering computer screen. Everything Light, Mello, Matt and A had said had already been transferred onto multiple computer network drives, a CD and USB, three copies to Watari and five to L.

_Too suspicious_, Near found himself thinking as he shot cold gazes towards the window. _Yagami Light...I don't know if he actually knew someone like that, but...why would he say such a thing? Is he only trying to get A on his side, or secretly trying to close down Wammy's House? Or he's trying to get A to tell him something only known to insiders. _

"And what do you think, Near?" the teacher suddenly interrupted his line of thought.

The boy quickly switched his attention to the board and scrutinized it for a moment, before answering, "I believe Mello forgot the negative," quietly. This in turn prompted a furious response from the loud blond, and so the day progressed like it normally would.

-xox-

"You want me to do what?" Matt asked incredulously.

Near sighed. "For the last time, Matt, I want you to distract him long enough for me, okay?"

"And what exactly are you going to do?"

He had managed to corner the redhead outside class, and detain him long enough as to not attract Mello's attention. Said blond walked straight out of the room confidently, chatting animatedly to Y about whatever the latest topics were (Near didn't bother keeping up).

"I'm going to," he said slowly, having already repeated this at least three times, "sneak into his room and see what I can find."

"...Why'd ya wanna do that?"

"I overheard him talking with A."

"When was that?"

Near allowed himself a deep breath. "Just—stop asking me so many questions. Now isn't the time to explain. Mello's already starting to look pissed. Just do what I say please. I will explain later."

Matt shrugged. "Fine. As long as you give me back my game."

"...Deal."

-xox-

The loud bell sounded for lunch time just as Light had finished his 19th bag of potato chips. A was sitting opposite him, looking more than a little shocked that a sane person could eat so many bags of chips in such a short amount of time. And they weren't even small bags.

A noise startled both of them, and as Light turned to look, he saw a redhead practically tripping down the stairs, followed by a furious blond. _Ah, it's those two again. No surprise that they haven't given up on following me._ He caught some of their conversation as they drew nearer.

"Matt! Stop dragging me off to places without warning! That's _my_ job," Mello fumed.

Matt gave him a long-suffering look. "Please, Mel, I thought you were the one who wanted to keep an eye on Yagami!"

"Wait...you mean you dragged me down here just so I could fulfil my dreams? You're too awesome, Matt!"

"Woah, woah, sudden mood swing!"

Light gave them a friendly smile as they came close, but wanting no more than to write their stupid names in the Death Note. But the chance will come, he told himself. One step at a time. Mello slid in beside A, eyes flicking every so often towards Light. Matt took his seat right next to Light and, for the first (or second) time in his life, did not seem to be playing a game.

"Amazing," Light commented to himself quietly.

"What was that?" Matt shot immediately.

Light looked up. "Huh? I was talking about these chips." He gestured towards them. "They're really nice, aren't they?"

"Uh...huh. Yeah. Totally. Mmhm. They completely are," Matt replied, with the aura of forcing out replies all too evident. "So, Light...what did you do this morning? Did you check out our swimming pool?"

"You have a swimming pool?" He _really_ needed to go have a look.

"Well _yeah_! How else do we deal with summer? We also have a common room full of awesome stuff, but you can't go in, sorry."

"Matt!" Mello reprimanded from across the table. "Don't spill our secrets to Kira! He'll sneak in through the window next to the air hockey table, and then when he escapes, he'll dive through the swimming pool."

Matt didn't look too concerned. "Uh-huh. Sure, Mel. Sure."

-xox-

Carefully, he pushed the key into the lock and turned, and with it came a click to show that it was unlocked. The door opened with a creak, and Near mentally told himself to thank B for the keys. It really was worth buying those jars of jam.

Looking around the room, his first impression was that Yagami Light must be very similar to himself. The walls and bed sheets were white (though he couldn't do much about that), and everything was neatly placed. Well, _almost_ everything.

A photograph lying on the bed caught his attention. An open envelope next to it suggested that its intended recipient was Yagami Light, although that could merely be a bluff. The photograph was from a magazine, which showed a picture of a young girl. With blonde hair and model build, the caption next to her showed Amane Misa.

The letter was lying half-concealed behind the photograph. Near could only wonder if Light had done that on purpose – to hide the letter and yet not make it look too suspicious. Consequently, that just made it more suspicious. Quickly skimming the letter, his pale eyes narrowed.

_So...Amane is Yagami's girlfriend? Looking at this room now, it seems that Yagami is a perfectionist. Why, then, did he leave the letter lying haphazardly? He couldn't have expected anyone to enter the room, so he must have gotten rid of the letter quickly, or saved it for further use. He must've had something on his mind, then. But L is gone, there is nothing that he needs to do immediately. Unless he didn't want to be caught with her letter around Wammy's House._

Then a phrase clicked. L was gone. Near's frown deepened.

_L is gone. Yagami receives a letter from his girlfriend but casts it aside. Why? There must be some connection between her and Kira, a connection he doesn't want the others to find. And he left it hastily because he wanted to take advantage of all the time without L. And that's why he was talking to A. That man sure uses his time wisely._

Near smirked. "I have figured you out, Kira," he said quietly. "I will find the evidence. And then I will send you to prison."

But there was something else he needed to do first.

* * *

**A/N:** You know that end part with all of Near's thinking? Yeah, I made it up on the spot xDD I apologise for B not appearing in this, I wanted to shed more light (no pun intended) on the three major Wammy kids. And if anyone dislikes A, tell me now. I really need to know.

As I said, I've scrapped my plot, so please help me think of more suggestions!

And as always, review ^^

~CC


	8. This is War

**A/N:** Early update! To show that I'm not abandoning this story xDD I have the inkings of a plot ^^ So hopefully it'll be finished soon!

Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note...well, it'd turn out like this xD

* * *

Locking the door firmly behind him, Light breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on his bed. He had always known that it will work, but (despite all his claims) still harboured a secret fear in the back of his mind that A wouldn't play along. Luckily, he did.

Speaking of A...

The boy had left him in his room with a promise not to go out. Light knew for a fact that Wammy's House had security cameras, but whether that was put in because L was coming or simply had them, he didn't know. That's why he had specifically chosen to go outside when talking to A. Unless there was a security camera on that tree, which is extremely unlikely at 1.1% at most, nobody would ever know.

He grabbed Misa's letter from beside him and skimmed through it twice, just in case it contained any secret messages. Nothing.

Suppressing the slight disappointment, he quickly placed it into a specific Misa-related section in his folder. But as he did that, he frowned.

The folder had moved.

Not in a literal sense, of course. Light had always placed his folder parallel to the table edges, with the top side overlapping perfectly the bottom. Now, it was no longer parallel, but sitting slightly tilted. Since coming to Wammy's, he had also creased a small corner inside, so that if it were to be opened and closed again, the corner would become unfolded. Light checked the corner. Sure enough, it had been unfolded.

As he became aware of this fact, he realized that many other things in the room had moved as well. The desk drawers were neatly closed, yet he had left a small gap he was sure that nobody would notice. The small strands of hair in the zipper of his bag were no longer there. Even the few grains of sand folded into his pillow were no longer here.

An orphan had been in his room.

Trembling with fury, Light forced himself to sit down and think it over. It had to be an orphan – Roger would never have done that. His door was locked...then they must have had a key. But when? While he was talking with A? No, everyone would have been in class, and Roger would notice if a student was out wandering in the corridors. Then that only left while he was eating.

Eyes suddenly widening, Light bolted up. Matt! He had seemed unusually talkative, and overeager to get to lunch early. He must've been an accomplice in this scheme. But then who snuck into his room? Mello? No, he was with Matt. Near? He highly doubted it. Linda? No, she didn't believe he was Kira. It couldn't have been A, so...B?

_Son of a...!_

Biting his tongue to stop himself from swearing out loud, Light's eyes narrowed with fury. It must have been him! He wasn't there at lunchtime, and he was on quite good terms with Matt. _Calm down_, Light told himself, _calm down and think it over. _Light looked around the room, thinking carefully. _There's nothing in my room which would lead to me being Kira. He couldn't have deduced anything. But for now, how do I prevent people from coming in?_

_...I can't. _To say that would draw suspicion to himself._ But...should I reveal that I found out? No, then B would tread even softer. I have to pretend I know nothing, but increase my security. I wonder if that lead and door trick would work again..._

And with that, he set to work.

-xox-

A few minutes later, Light strode into the courtyard, looking triumphant. He had gone outside, taken a bag of chips, and returned. But while outside his room, he had accidentally-on-purpose dropped his keys, and while bending to pick them up, managed to insert the small bar of lead into the door. He had not gone back in after that, but seemed to remember something and walked back into the courtyard.

He circled the swimming pool, eyeing the water distastefully, and set to walking around the entire complex of Wammy's House. It was so large that by the time the sun started setting, he still had a few hundred metres to go.

It was because of that fact that he was slightly late to dinner but, to Light's relief, B was already there, chatting animatedly with Mello. Light caught a few phrases, something including 'guns, weapons and general mafia stuff'. Not that Light knew much about 'general mafia stuff' at all.

Near was there as well, in the corner playing with two puppets, but Light paid him no attention. He was busy scrutinising B. As he watched, Matt came and sat next to Mello, beckoning for Light to join them.

"Hey, Yagami, no need to stand there stalking us," Matt joked, patting the seat next to him.

"Sorry, Matt," Light said politely, "I didn't know if you wanted me to join you guys."

"Well, course we do," he said brightly. "Well, okay, Mel doesn't, but the rest of us do."

Light had to remind himself that Matt was lying. He was B's accomplice and would be killed as soon as the chance would allow it. He got himself a potato pie, watching as Mello bit off another slab of chocolate. "Hey, Matt," he said, struck by a sudden thought.

"Hm?"

"How long have you known Mello?"

Matt shrugged. "I dunno, a couple years? See, I'm fourteen now, and Mel's fifteen, and we've known each other since I were seven so...seven years." He grabbed his PSP and began mashing the buttons together.

"Seven years...huh..." Light's mind was whirling. An idea was forming in his mind. "So, is Mello your best friend?"

"Yup!" It was so casually and cheerfully pronounced that Light immediately knew that their bonds were very strong. Very strong indeed.

Now if only he had a way to sever them...

-xox-

It was in the middle of the night and the curtains were drawn closed. The lone boy sat there intently, the only light in the room being the flicking computer screen. Currently, it held a giant L.

"L." The boy spoke. He knew that on the other side, L would have received the message, spoken in a mechanical voice.

"Near." Likewise, it was also a mechanical voice on this side.

Near twisted a strand of his white hair, pausing for a moment. "L, I...I looked around Yagami Light's room."

"And?" The response was immediate and almost harsh, as if L did not care for the safety of his successors. But Near knew better.

"And I found a picture of Amane Misa. Does she have any connection to Kira?"

"What makes you think that?"

While Near told the computer his deductions, L stayed silent and did not interrupt. It was only when he had finished that L spoke again.

"Well deducted, Near. What do you propose to do next?"

"What do you propose?"

There was a mechanical 'hn' from the other side which Near perceived as a small chuckle. "I want to know what you're thinking."

Near didn't reply for a moment. "I'm thinking...I'd like to meet her."

"You want to meet someone who you think has a connection to Kira?"

"Yes."

"Let me rephrase that. _You yourself_ want to do so?"

"...Yes." The response was a little more hesitant this time. "There's nobody else I can trust with the job."

"You would be surprised," L remarked. "You need a secretary, Near. I recommend Mello."

"You want me to send Mello to meet her?" He spoke in surprise, but L would probably hear none of that surprise. _Probably_.

"Yes. Tell Matt and Mello I'll be sending over some weapons in a few days."

"Weapons!"

There was a short pause.

Then L spoke again.

"This is war, Near."

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! War! Plot! xD

Review?

~C.C.


	9. Excitement

**A/N:** Sorry guys, this chapter is pretty short OTL Mainly because...my muse ran away, I'm now obsessed with the _Keys to the Kingdom_ series (It's so good, go read it xD) and I'm kinda stuck with the plot of this. Oh, and not enough reviewers xDD

Disclaimer: If Death Note were mine...awful things would happen -glint- 

* * *

When Light came down for breakfast the next morning, the entire hall was filled with chatter.

Of course, he had gone through the usual put-a-piece-of-lead-in-the-door kind of ritual, and hoped it didn't seem too suspicious to Roger. He was bound to notice sooner or later that Light kept bending down in front of his door, but once or twice shouldn't be too bad.

But back to the point.

As he stepped down into the sunlight flowing from open windows, he immediately noticed a giant crowd in the centre of the room. With a few 'excuse me's and 'can I please pass through?' and a few violent shoves, Light managed to settle his eyes on the intriguing object.

It was a bulky and rather large package. And printed neatly on the package was:

_To: Mello and Matt  
Wammy's House  
Winchester, England._

_The contents of this package are confidential  
and should not be revealed to any other except  
to him this may concern._

_Use only in emergencies._

Light's first thought was that this had to be from L. His second thought was that L must've sent a private postman (did such things exist?) to deliver said letter, because there was no clear address, nor postcode, and he probably wouldn't have trusted a normal postman to deliver things like this anyway. His third thought was: _Why in the name of Kira—erm, me—did L deliver a package to Mello and Matt, of all people?_

Then he noticed the two said friends crouching around the package, staring at it as if they had never seen anything like it. As Light watched, Mello nodded to Matt and was about to open it when he caught sight of Light.

"Hm. Let's go, Matt."

"Whaa?" Matt looked up and saw Light, and then nodded agreement. "Okay, let's go."

With a collected 'awwwww' from the crowd, the two of them picked up the large package between themselves and trampled upstairs and out of sight. As they left, the crowd thinned, each going back to their own things. Light took some toast and butter and sat himself in a corner. Immediately, it seemed, B came to join him.

"What do you think was in that package, Yagami?" he asked slyly, hands as always grabbing a jar of jam.

Light shrugged. "I don't know, and it's not my place to know, anyway."

"You're not curious?"

The other cursed. He was _so_ not challenging him. "A little bit," Light lied, "but not as much as you, no."

"Pity," B smirked, "because B knows what's inside." His red eyes twinkled as he scooped up some jam.

"Oh, do you?" He tried to sound as if he weren't too interested.

"No," B grinned. "I was testing you."

Light fought the urge to facepalm. "Ah. Right. Yeah." He nodded, trying to quell the disappointment bubbling inside him. Then, because he couldn't quite suppress the curiosity, he tried again. "So, what do you think is inside, B?"

The orphan shrugged, somehow managing to slurp some jam at the same time. "I don't know, Yagami. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell _you_." He shot him a nasty glare.

Light simply sighed.

Upstairs in their shared room, Mello and Matt were eagerly peeling open the package. While Matt was trying not to rip the paper too much, Mello was tearing at it like a wild dog gone without food for too long. When they had finally fully unwrapped the package, both stared in wonder.

"Woahhh," Matt gasped, starring at the small variety of gadgets. There were smoke bombs, small hidden cameras, infra-red vision goggles, voice recorders and several other small gadgets. The redhead immediately snapped off his own goggles and traded them for an infra-red one. "Will we need all this, Mel?"

Mello, on the other hand, had already pocketed most of the gadgets. "Take 'em all, Matt." He bit off a slab of chocolate with a snap. "If we don't need them, we can keep them for later or send them back to L."

For the first time he realized there was a letter inside the package and wasted no time in tearing it open.

_To Mello and Matt;_

_ This is L. Please dispose of this letter and the wrappings of this package within 24 hours of receiving this message. _

_ You have probably already seen the gadgets I have provided. There are not many, but although this is hardly a dangerous assignment, you are to take care and take necessarily precautions. Use these only in emergencies, without exception. Near will provide you with further instructions._

The letter was not signed.

Matt read over Mello's shoulder and could see the blond trembling with rage. "Near!" Mello burst out furiously. "Him again! Why! Couldn't L trust us?"

"Calm down Mel," Matt sighed, returning to his DS game. "I'm sure L has a good reason. He's probably just trying to make you—"

Mello glared at him.

"I mean, us!" Matt amended hurriedly. "He's probably trying to make _us_ work with Near."

The blond reluctantly lowered the letter. "Can't be helped," he hissed. "Let's go find that sheep brat."

"So that's what you have to do," Near said monotonously.

Mello and Matt stared at him. One in annoyance and one in slight wonder. It didn't take a genius to figure out which was which.

"So _that's_ what you were doing!" Matt exclaimed, before promptly burying his head into his DS game once more.

Mello's eyes, however, narrowed, and one could tell that his brain was working furiously. "Why us? She's been caught already on suspicion of being the second Kira, right? Why does L need us to interview again?" As Near opened his mouth to reply, Mello cut across him. "Oh shut up, sheep, I _know_ why. That was rhetorical!"

Near closed his mouth.

Mello bit some chocolate and lowered his night goggles. "We'll head out tomorrow. It's a Saturday."

"What about Amane?" Near asked quietly. "You can't just march up to her flat—"

"_Watch_ me," Mello snarled.

The other fell silent. As Mello dragged Matt away, Near twirled his hair and fingered three puppets – two of them blond, and one a redhead. The soft-spoken orphan raised a blond puppet to eyelevel and spoke.

"I will watch you, Mello."

* * *

**A/N: **LOL, not my best and probably wayyy too short. Maybe this'll become a like 'update when I feel like it' thing, which will guarantee it an update every two years xDD (It depends on the reviewers and my muse. But mostly the reviewers ^^)

-drops not-so-subtle hint-

Do it now! xD

~CC


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